Community must be involved in running hospitals

PUBLIC hospitals are hospitals governed by the government. Thus, unlike private hospitals, they tend to get the most patients and funding for them comes directly from the government which has to share the budget throughout the country and with the different departments.

Since the new dispensation was introduced, people who cannot afford fees, such as the pensioners, the unemployed and children under the age of six are admitted to hospitals free of charge. Even those who have exhausted their medical aid funds turn to these hospitals for medical assistance.

As a result, despite all efforts by the government, the available resources are always not enough, resulting in many problems such as staff shortages, lack of equipment and sometimes even not enough budget for food for patients. These are all the challenges that the public hospitals' staff work under, leading to stress as they become overworked and stressed by the difficult conditions of work.

The government is trying its best, but the task is too heavy.

Clinics are established for people with less serious sicknesses and ailments to go to, but due to some clinics also suffering the same consequences, people flock to the already full hospitals. As a result, we witness long queues and long waiting periods at the public hospitals.

Hospital boards are there to educate the public about their role to alleviate these problem by educating them about the reality of the situation, appealing to them to understand the difficulties experienced by both the Department of Health and its staff, and to engage the community as to which ways it can assist in improving the situation at the public hospitals. Community members from different persuasions and with different skills are asked to be part of the hospital boards so they can play an oversight role over the hospitals and be able to report back to their communities about the efforts to improve conditions.

They also play a role in ensuring that the service delivery at the hospitals is community-driven and problems are addressed swiftly. They become also a link with the MEC and a tool of the people in governing their lives.

This must never be confused with managing the hospitals as there are professional people employed for that. Working with the management, the hospital boards are able to contribute positively towards improving the lives of people.

Public meetings are held with the community with exactly that idea of seeking ideas, views and solutions to problems facing the hospitals. Now and again, these hospital boards meet the hospital management to interact and convey what they have collated from the community and vice versa.

What Livingstone Hospital board did was such an exercise and it is hoped that other hospital boards will follow suit. People must attend these meetings as that is where their voice is paramount. We thank those people who attended last Sunday and appeal for more in future meetings.

Sheikh Nceba Salamntu, chairperson, Livingstone Hospital board